One hundred and eighty degree hinge



Feb. 13, 1951 G. w. NEELY 2,541,377

ONE HUNDRED AND EIGHTY DEGREE HINGE Filed June 16, 1945 GLEN W. NEELYINVENTOR.

Attorneys Patented Feb. 13, 1951 ONE HUNDRED AND EIGHTY DEGREE HIN GGlen W. Neely, Oak Park, Ill., assignor to The Richardson Company,Lockland, Ohio, a, corporation of Ohio Application June 16, 1945, SerialNo. 599,821

8 Claims.

My invention relates to hinge structure for small containers of the typewhich snap by spring action into open and closed position and whereinthe maximum stress on the spring control lies in between the twoextremes of position of the hinge.

The particular problem for which my present invention is advanced as asolution is to provide such a. snap hinge which will take open andclosed positions which are 130 degrees apart, or any fractions thereofwith slight modification, and which is suitable for use with plasticmaterials, as for example, such as are used in small boxes for jewelryand the like.

Among additional objects are the making of a hinge which isself-contained with no parts engaging the portions to be hinged togetherbut the straps of the hinge device, which will preferably be of pianohinge type.

As an exemplary structure illustrating the novel features of myinvention, I show in the drawings, and will describe a jewelry case anda hinge construction for use therewith. The novelty inherent thereinwill be set forth in the appended claims.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a perspective of a box.

Figure 2 is a plan view of the two hinge pieces.

Figure 3 is a side elevation view of the hinge.

Figure 4 is a diagram showing the hinge in full open position.

Figure 5 is a diagram showing the hinge closed.

Figure 6 is a diagram illustrating a less than 180 opening.

Figure 7 is a perspective of the hinge showing a modified form fordropping 'into place.

Figure 8 is a detail of a box flange to accommodate the hinge of Figure7.

I have shown the invention as applied to a box having a containerportion I and a lid portion 2. The wall surrounding the containerportion is indicated at Ia and the wall surrounding the lid portion isillustrated at 2a. Normally the inside of the structure will be closedwith a suitable fabric lining which extends loosely across the jointbetween the two parts and encloses and conceals all hinge construction.There is enough play in the cloth to permit of such limited projectionas takes place of the hinge spring of my device when the box is closed.When the box is open there is practically no projection of the spring,as will be noted. I

The two hinge portions shown have body portions 3 and 4 respectively,which have piano hinge portions 3a and 4a respectively through which apintle pin 5 is thrust. The two ends of each hinge portion are extendedto form attachin leaves 6, 6, for the hingeportion 3 and I, I, for thehinge portion 4. Intermediate the ends, the leaf of each hinge is bentat right angles to form projecting tongues 6a and la.

The walls of the container portion and lid are recessed or cut away soas to permit of the attaching leaves 6, 6, to be mounted on the risingportion of the container portion wall, with a portion of the containerwall lying between the attached walls recessed or cut away to providethe space 8, as can be seen in Figure 1. The space 9 in the dependingwall of the lid portion is also formed by cutting'away a portion of thewall between the mounting point for the two leaves I, I, of the hingeportion 4.

A sprin is provided which has a special shape. It has a pair of hookedends II], II], which hook over the free edges of the two tongue portions6a and la. From the hook portions there are the straight portions I I, II, which will lie parallel to the two tongue portions (see Figure '7) sothat this portion of the spring can lie againstthe face of the twotongue portions when the hinge is open. The spring is then bent into twoloops I2, I2, and

the outer portions of the loops are extended toward each other in alength I3. The central portion of the length I3 is bowed outwardly at I4for the purpose of conforming to the shape of the hinge portions 3a,4110f the two hinge halves.

If we now take the relation when the hinge is open at 180 and start toclose the lid of the box, this is opposed by the two loops and theconnecting portion until the lid had moved past a position, at whichposition the spring will have been extended to its utmost position.Further movement of the lid will be assisted by the spring which willtend to return to its normal shape, thus by contracting forcing the twotongue portions of the hinge to a position in the same plane, with thetwo attaching leaves in contact with each other.

' This relation is shown in Figure 5. When the box is opened the springwill be caused to expand until the box lid passes the 90 positionwhereupon it will snap to full open position. Since each hinge leafmoves through 90 the box lid will move through 180 (Figure 4).

If it is desired to limit the opening of the box to less than 180, butgreater than 90, the section I3 and the connecting bowed portion arechanged as shown in Figure 6. In such a case when the lid has beenforced by the spring to for example, the bowed portion I4 wil contactwith the hinge pintle retaining portions of the hinge and 3 havingbottomed will therefore hold the box lid in a partially open positionunder stress of the spring.

It may be noted that the sole mounting means are a pair of screws whichcan be inserted into a piece of plastic material without muchdifficultya l ot er r s he in e structure supports the parts, and thespring does not engage any plastic wall or socket. However, if desired,the mounting of the hinge may be accomplished as shown in Figures"? and3.

In this instance the two hinge leaves have body portions 3 and 4, as inthe first example and pintle mounting loops 3a and 4d. The intermediateleaf portions are turned at right angles to form projecting tongues 6aand la, as in the first instance. However, the ter r rginal attachingportions 6 and 1 of the first example are modified. Instead ofprojecting from the body leaf portions 3 and 4, the mounting portionsare bent as at and 2:1, and return about so as to be pushed intomounting slots in the box flanges and remain there by friction.

Thus as shown in Figure 8, the box wall or flange 22 is formed with therecessed portion alike to the recess '8, but also two narrow recesses 24and '25 are formed in the wall or flange. Into these recesses 24 and 25the mounting portions 2a and .2! are inserted.

Of course a like construction Will "be .used in mounting the other leafof the hinge to the .lid. Figure '7 shows the hinge -in open position asin Figure 4.

The device can "be made in very small sizes, :if desired for delicatework, and the assembly is simple, since the hinge may be mounted on theparts Joy screws and the hinge then pushed into place, or alternativelythe spring may be --frictionally set in place as last above described.The lining fabric may then be cemented down and the hinging .of the boxis complete.

The particular shape of the spring may be modified within the range .ofequivalents. In the structure described, it has the general shape of an.end elevation of the hinge in its full open position. The importantfeature is that the major stress on the spring should be at a pointintermediate the closed and .open positionof the hinge.

Having thus described my mvention, what I claim as new and desire tosecure ;by Letters Patent is:

'1. In combination a box having flan es on its .body portion and lidportion, said flanges ;cut away to leave matching spaces'at the hingingpoint, and a hinge comprising two leaves hinged together, each leafhaving terminal portions secured to the flanges of the body nd 'lidadjacent the spaces, and "having intermediate leaf portions extending atright angles to the .hody portions .of said leaf, said intermediateportions located in the said spaces, and a leaf spring secured to thefree edges of the said intermediate portions and surrounding the hingeintermediate said terminal portions, said sprin being so shaped ,as tobe under the major stress when the hinge is in position intermediate itsopen and closed relation.

The combination of claim 1 in which the securin of the leaf sp ng to theiree ed es 4 of the intermediate portions is by means of hooks on theends of the said spring.

3. The combination of claim 1 in which the terminal portions of eachleaf are turned parallel to the intermediate portions thereof, with theends of said turned portions reversely bent, and in which said boxflanges have slots for frictionally engaging said terminal portions atthe ends of the cut-away portions of the fianges.

.4. The combination of claim 1 in which the termi al portions extend inthe plane of the hody portions of the hinge leaves, and are providedwith holes for reception of mounting means on the "box flanges;

5. hsnap hinge construction comprising a pair of leaves pivoted to-eachother at adjacent edges, saidleaves movab-le about said pivot in aforward direction from an open position in which the leaves lie at anangle to each other to another position in which they are in substantialface-toface relationship, said leaves having rigid extensions extendingin a rearward direction, and a leaf spring engaging said extensions andpassing around said pivot vforwardly, said extensions Positioned so thata straight line joining said extensions will lie on one side of saidpivot when said leaves are open and on he other sid -Wh said leaves arein face-to-face relationship.

6. A 180* opening, snap hinge comprising a pair of leaves pivoted toeach other at adjacent edges, said leaves movable about said pivot in aforward direction from a posit on in wh ch h are plana o an the p sitionin whic ey are in face-to-face relationship, said leaves hav- {mg rigidextensions which when said leaves are coplanar extend in a rearwarddirection, and a leaf spring engaging said extensions and passing aroundsaid 'pivotforwardly, said extensions positioned so that a straight linejoining said extensions will lie on one side of said pivot whensaidleaves are coplanar and on the other side when said leaves are inface-to-face relationship.

{7. The structure of claim '5 wherein the opening of the hinge islimited to less than 180 but greater than by means of the spring, saidspring being configured so that an intermediate portion thereof willcontact the hinge at its .pivot prior-to the full opening of the hingeand hence retain it in less than fully open position.

8. The combination of claim 1 wherein the spring element is shaped so asto substantially penform to the contour of the hinge when the hinge isin open position.

GLEN W. NEELY.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

U rrn STATES PATENTS lfipmber Name Date -7'- p 3: 1- r- 2,126,0 19Sh-iffman et al. Sept. 26, 1936 2,231,909 Hempel Feb. 18, 1941 2,243,065Barrett May 27, 1941 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 409,978 FranceMa 9 .0

